Chapter 71: Nibbling His Ear (2)
Gong Che dipped a towel in a basin of water to wipe Gong Yi Mo’s face. The young girl’s cheeks were flushed red as she slept. He couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “You’re such a little villain. This Prince Brother rushed to find you, but not only did you refuse to send me a letter, you even sleep so peacefully.”
He spoke gently while lightly pinching her cheeks. Her face was as tender as an infant’s. It was Gong Che’s first time feeling something so soft.
Perhaps due to the pain, Gong Yi Mo unexpectedly opened her eyes and looked up in confusion as she struggled to recognize this young man.
“Brother… Crown Prince?”
Gong Che smiled brightly at her; his whole body seemed to relax at her presence. Just when he was about to speak, Gong Yi Mo interrupted him. Her eyes blinked wearily as she spoke,
“I’m sorry…”
Gong Che stared at her in a daze. He couldn’t figure out what reason she had to apologize to him.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to cause your grandfather’s death.”
Upon hearing her words, Gong Che’s face gradually showed the grief he had kept to himself. His grandfather’s funeral was handled in a low key manner. After his body was sent away, the Main Hall functioned like before as if the Right Minister had never existed.
“I was unfair to you…” Gong Yi Mo’s voice was weak and faint like that of a kitten’s. She closed her eyes and frowned deeply. “I… I’ve disappointed you.”
“That’s not how it is!”
Gong Che reached out and gently touched her face. “I should be the one to apologize… When my grandfather made this grave mistake, others were eager to add fuel to the flames, leaving ny family and I utterly isolated… Only you stood in front of me and spoke on my behalf…”
Gong Che’s gaze deepened. In the past few days, he pondered a lot; the more he thought of the events that day, the more he realized Gong Yi Mo’s mercy and kindness towards him. “But I still blamed you on that day. I’m the one at fault.”
He leaned down close to her before whispering in her ear, “Please forgive me for not knowing who was my enemy and who was truly my friend. The one who should be apologizing is me…”
He sighed after speaking. Each word truly came from the bottom of his heart. Although her help did lead to his grandfather’s death, if Gong Yi Mo had never appeared, the Liu Family would have been convicted altogether of capital crime and would be sent out to exile. His mother would have to sacrifice her life in order to protect him, and even if he survived, what would be the point of living?
Such a result compared with his present life was a thousand times more difficult! Recognizing this truth, Gong Che felt deep gratitude for Gong Yi Mo. He even thought that if there was anything she wished to fulfil, he was willing to pay everything to help her realize her dreams.
As he was immersed in his thoughts, he noticed that she made no movement whatsoever.
“Imperial Sister? …Yi Mo?”
She remained dead asleep.
Gong Che shook his head and sighed. “If you look like this, how can your brother feel at ease to send you off for marriage?”
He said these words as a joke, but when he finished, he suddenly felt distress. Despite his words, deep inside, he actually didn’t like the idea of Gong Yi Mo marrying.
He never expected Gong Yi Mo to wearily open her eyes after hearing him speak of marriage.
“I won’t marry…”
“Hm?”
Only then did she open her eyes and looked up at him firmly; her eyes were bright and watery while her pale face had a distinct pink blush. When she spoke, her gaze had a moment of sobriety and calmness.
“I said, I will never marry in this life.”
After stating her resolve, Gong Yi Mo once succumbed to her drunkenness. Gong Che was stunned after hearing her words. “Why? As a woman… how could you not marry?”
Gong Yi Mo smiled and closed her eyes.
She mumbled, “I swore to myself…”。
Her voice was becoming even more faint, so he leaned his ear even closer to her lips to hear her response.
“And?”
“…” Gong Yi Mo squinted as she looked up at his profile. When she saw his jade-like ears actually blush with a tinge of red, Gong Yi Mo didn’t even think as she leaned forward and bit down!